Interface and clothing treatment apparatus equipped with interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry treatment apparatus interfaces require separate spaces for displaying, searching, and selecting control commands, leading to increased installation space and vulnerability to water and foreign substance ingress.
Innovation Solution
An integrated interface that combines display, search, and selection functions into a single device, utilizing an encoder with a rotating portion, actuator, and display unit, along with sealing features to prevent water and foreign substance ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If display, search, and selection functions are arranged in separate spaces, then each function can be independently designed and operated, but the total installation space increases and the interface becomes more vulnerable to water and foreign substance ingress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the display unit, encoder (search function), and selection button into a single integrated interface housing. This merging of previously separate components into one unified structure reduces the total installation space required and minimizes the number of seams and openings where water and foreign substances could penetrate, thereby improving both space efficiency and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated interface housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, houses the display unit, accommodates the encoder for command selection, and incorporates sealing features to protect internal components. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate protected spaces for each function, resolving the contradiction between space requirements and protection needs
2Area of stationary object
If display, search, and selection functions are integrated into one device, then installation space is minimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested structure where the display unit, encoder, and selection button are housed within a single interface housing. The encoder is positioned within the housing, the display unit is mounted within the same housing, and all components share common sealing and mounting structures. This nesting approach integrates multiple functions into one device while managing complexity through a hierarchical organizational structure
3Ease of manufacture
If separate interface components are used, then each component can be easily manufactured and replaced, but the total number of parts increases and assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the display unit, encoder, and selection button into a single integrated interface housing, the patent reduces the total number of separate parts that need to be manufactured, stored, and assembled. While the housing itself is more complex, the overall system benefits from fewer discrete components, simplified assembly procedures, and reduced inventory requirements, effectively resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
The present application relates to an interface comprising: an encoder having a fixed part, a rotating part rotatably coupled to the fixed part, and a signal generating part connected to a circuit board and generating an electrical signal when the rotating part rotates; an actuator having a shaft fixed to the rotating part, a handle fixed to the shaft and receiving a force required for rotation of the shaft, and a receiving space formed inside the handle; a display part having a fastening body fixed to the fixed part through the shaft, a receiving body fixed to the fastening body and positioned inside the receiving space, a mounting space formed inside the receiving body, a fastening body through-hole communicating with the mounting space through the fastening body, a receiving body through-hole passing through the receiving body and communicating with the mounting space, a display fixed to the mounting space and displaying information, a cover fixed to the receiving body to close the receiving body through-hole, and a wire inserted into the fastening body through-hole to transmit power or a signal to the display; and a sealing part blocking inflow of external air and water into the mounting space.